Musical instrument



' P; MlLlTO. MUSICAL JNSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED DEC-6,.l920.

1,425,032,. Patented Aug. 8, 1922 INVENTOR.

PETER NIL I TO N mzm.

A TTORNE Y.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER MILITO; or utrrcn. NEwYoRx, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF T0 sALVA'ronE DI GIIACQMO, or ,u'ricn, nnwyonx.

To all tuhomz't may concern: I 1

Be it known that 1, PETER MiLiao, a

citizen of Italy, residing at U'tica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to'the accompanyin drawing.

y invention relates to a musical instrument and I declare the following to be a full, clear concise and exact description thereof sufficient to enable anyone skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the specification. i

The object of the invention is to provide a musical device such as a guitar or other similar instrument with a series of bells or chimes that can be made to sound in harmony with the tones of the several'strings of said instrument at the will of the player. :The object will be understood by referring to the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the musical instrument, showing parts in section and other parts broken away to expose the interior; I 1

Fig.2 is aside elevation of the musical instrument; t

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of'the -musical instrument, showing certain parts broken away to expose the chimes.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a guitar is illustrated in;the drawings, which guitar has the usual body -1-- and the neck2. The metallic strings 3 of the guitar extend from the tuning pegs 4; to the metal tail piece 5 whichhas a part bent at right angles to be secured by screws or riv- BtSUG to the far side '7 of the body -1. There is employed also the usual bridge 8 over which said metallic strings 8 extend.

The parts that are new embody the bells or chimes and the electric circuit for actuating the hammers to strike and sound the bells at the will of the player. Said bells 10 are in the form of metallic flat bars 11 that vary in length to effect variation in tone and are mounted upon two wooden strips 12, 12 which are disposed at an angle to each other to accommodate the different lengths of the bells 10. Said bells 10 are in" Musical Instruments,- of

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters latent. Patented Aug 8,1922. Application filed Deman ber 6, 1820. Serial No. 428,494. i

arranged in' iorder of lengths f m the shortest to the longest. The wooden strips 12 are supported upon other wooden pieces 13 that'are fastened directly to the bottom casing of the body -1.

The metallic fiat bars 11 are adapted to be struck by their respective hammers 15. The movements of the hammers 15 are controlled by the well known construction of electro magnet such as 16 that has a vibrating. armature to which the arm 17 of each of the magnets 16 is connected by an independent wire 19 :to, the lower depending end of a metal plug 20. The upper enlargedend 21of each of said plugs 20 is countersunk in the wooden piece 22 that is fastened to the neck 2, whereby its upper 7 surface will be flush with the upper surface of said piece 22. The lower depending ends ofsaid plugs 20 project into a chamber formed at 23 in the neck 2. The chamber 28 opens into the larger chamber 24 in the 1 body -1, whereby to housethe wires 19.

"The metallic plugs 20 are located in rows in the neck or stem 2 of the guitar and are directly beneath the metallic strings 3.

The electric circuit is completed by connecting the other binding post of the several magnets 16, to the binding post of the adjacent magnet andthe binding post .25

ofthe last magnetis connected by a wire 26 to one polel27 of the electric dry cell battery 28 that is disposed within the chamber 24; of the body l-, andheld from moving more or less the'rewithin by the contiguous surface of the side walls of body -1', and by a wooden piece 13.

A door 29 hinged g with a friction catchBO is adapted to give access to the battery 28 within the chamber 24.

The other pole 31 of the battery 28 is connected to one end 31 of a knife switch 32 and said knife switch 32 is connected by a wire 34 running through chamber 24 and out through a small aperture in the side of the casing to the end of the metallic tailpiece 5 to which the metallic strings 3 are joined.

There is an electric circuit established, therefore, from one pole 31 of the battery at 29 and provided 28 to the switch 32 to wire 34 to tail piece 5 to strings 3 to metallic plugs 20 to wires 19 to magnets 16 to pole 27 of the batter 28.

n operation of the guitar, the person who plays the same ordinarily uses one hand to depress the strings 3 and the other to vibrate the same, which vibration usually takes place over the hole 35 formed in the upper surface of the body -1 to effeet the musical tones. However, in the event that the player wishes to sound any one or more of the bells 10 in harmony with the corresponding tone of the respective string or strings 3, he will depress said string or strings 3 into contact with the proper plug or plugs 20 to, thereby, close the electric circuit or circuits and, hence, effect a vibration of the hammer or hammers 15 against their respective plate or plates 10 to sound the bell or bells. Thus any combination of bells may be sounded simultaneously with or without the sound of the strings 3 to effect a pleasing harmony.

Moreover, the guitar may be used independently of the chimes by throwing out the knife switch 32, which may be easily reached through the door.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A musical instrument having a hollow body part and a neck part, strings stretched from said neck part to said body part, bells disposed within said hollow body part, and electric circuits operably connected to the bells but normally open, each of said strings constitutinga part of one of the circuits to operate one of the bells.

2. A musical instrument comprising a hollow body part having chimes disposed therein, a neck part, metallic strings stretched from said neck part to said body part, metallic plugs disposed in said neck part, hammers controlled by electro magnets ior striking said chimes, an electric circuit for energizing said magnets, and said metallic strings adapted to be pressed into contact with said metallic plugs, whereby to close said circuit to sound said chimes.

3. A musical instrument comprising a hollow body part having chimes disposed therein, a neck part having metallic plugs secured thereto, hammers for striking said chimes, electro magnets "for actuating said hammers, an electric circuit for energizing said magnets, and metallic strings adapted to be pressed into contact with said plugs, whereby to close said circuit to sound the chimes.

i. A musical instrument comprising a hollow body part having chimes disposed therein, a neck part having metallic plugs fastened thereto, hammers for striking said chimes, electro magnets disposed in said body part and adapted to actuate said hammers, a battery mounted in said body part, an electric circuit for connecting said battery, metallic plugs and magnets, metallic strings adapted to be pressed into contact with said plugs, whereby to close said circuit to sound the chimes.

5. A musical instrument comprising a hollow body part havingchimes disposed therein, a neck part having metallic strings fastened thereto, plugs fastened to said neck part, a battery mounted in said body part, hammers adapted to strike said chimes, electro magnets for actuatingsaid hammers, an electric circuit for connecting said battery with said magnets, said metallic strings adapted to be pushed down into contact with said plugs, whereby to close said circuit to sound said chimes, and means for playing said instrument independent of said chimes.

6. A musical instrument comprising a hollow body part having chimes disposed therein, a neck part having metallic strings fastened thereto, metallic plugs in said neck part, a battery mounted in said body part, hammers controlled by electro magnets for sounding said chimes, an electric circuit connecting said battery with said magnets, said metallic strings adapted to be pressed into contact with said metallic plugs, whereby to close said electric circuit to sound said chimes, and an electric switch for disconnecting said circuit, whereby to cause the instrument to play independent of said chimes.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

PETER MILITO. 

